Mourinho was unaware he was being filmed and was instead conducting what he believed to be a private and light-hearted conversation with the head of Hublot watches at a sponsor's event. He is heard to say: "The problem with Chelsea is we lack a scorer. I have one [Eto'o] but he's 32. Maybe 35, who knows?"

However, at his press conference in the runup to Wednesday's Champions League game against Galatasaray, Mourinho turned on the French media, describing the story as a "disgrace".

"I think you should be embarrassed as a media professional because, from an ethical point of view, I don't think you should be happy – not you, but a colleague – is able to record a private conversation and make it public," he said. "You should all be a bit embarrassed because it's against the ethics you have in your work. From an ethical point of view, it's a real disgrace."

Mourinho insists Eto'o does not have a problem with his comments. "I'm not defending what I'm saying. I'm attacking something that is, I think, fundamental in your professional area," he said. "That person showed exactly what he is, or what he doesn't know about the job. From my perspective, the comment is obviously not a good one, and obviously not something I would do in a serious way, an official way in an interview.

"First of all because I don't make fun. Secondly, because if there are managers in the world who really defend their players, I'm obviously one of them. And thirdly because Samuel Eto'o is Samuel Eto'o. He's four times a Champions League winner: people think three times, but one in Real Madrid, two in Barcelona and one with Inter.

"It was with him that I had the best ever season of my career. He's one of the few players who is working with me at a second different club, and a manager doesn't do that if he doesn't like the player or the person. He has no reason to be upset.

"Also, he told a few years ago, that Mourinho is the only manager in the world who I would never play for, and after a year he was playing with me at Inter and now here.

"There is no story. No story. I repeat: it was a funny conversation between me and somebody who doesn't belong to the football world. We were laughing. I think it's a disgrace that someone is taping and recording a private conversation when, obviously, we don't know."